The Toyota Forklift Canberra Raiders crushed the Wests Tigers 56-10 for Member Appreciation Round at GIO Stadium. The men in green wore black armbands to remember Steve Keir and played an exciting game in honour of Raider No. 44.
The Green Machine were off to a smashing start in perfect conditions for Saturday afternoon footy. They put the Tigers under pressure early, held them inside their own half before they forced an error that gifted the Raiders a set from halfway.
Canberra did not waste their opportunity. Jed Stuart was there to catch a high ball off Ethan Sanders’ boot and scored the opening try. Sanders' conversion was unsuccessful, and the Raiders were off with an early 4-0 lead.
The Tigers were next to make an impact when they received a penalty inside the Raiders' 10m that led to a try by Ethan Roberts under the posts. Apisai Koroisau converted the try, and the Tigers led 6-4.
Canberra did not wait long to show off their speed as Ethan Sanders broke through the line with a runaway try between the uprights. He converted his own try to put the Raiders back in front.
The Raiders found themselves defending another set of six inside their 10m, but a Xavier Savage tackle on Junior Tupou resulted in a loose carry and the Raiders had the ball back. Ethan Strange continued Savage’s efforts with a four-pointer in the following set that Sanders turned into six.
The home side’s speed proved too good for the Tigers' defence when Simi Sasagi broke through the line and offloaded to Kaeo Weekes, who was next to show his brilliance as he sprinted the length of the field for another try. Savage continued this momentum with a try of his own, and Sanders was there to convert both.
The Tigers made a final push before the break and sent Faaletino Tavana over the line for their second try but failed to convert.
The Green Machine went into the break with a dominant 28-10 lead over the struggling Tigers.
Canberra kicked off the second half action, where both sides made powerful hit-ups and gained plenty of ground. The Raiders were forced to defend multiple back-to-back set restarts and continued to hold the Tigers up over the line.
Over 10 minutes into the second half, a set restart fell in the Raiders' favour. Corey Horsburgh flicked the ball to Daine Laurie, who weaved around the Tigers defenders and found the line. Sanders' boot made it six points, and the Raiders stretched their lead to 34-10.
With just over 20 minutes left of play, Matty Nicholson was cheered onto the field for his first NRL game of the 2026 season. Sasagi made a line break shortly after, which gifted the Raiders a chance from inside the 20m. Laurie repeated his quick footwork to step around the Tigers and reach over for his second try.
Laurie’s success only grew from there. He passed the ball to Sanders, who broke through the line and flicked it back to Laurie to score a hat-trick under the posts. Stuart was next over the line with a try in the corner, and Sanders continued to convert, which put the Raiders up 52-10.
Matthew Timoko topped off the score with a final try as he slipped through the Tigers' arms and slid over the line.
The Canberra Raiders secured a brilliant 56-10 victory over the West Tigers in front of their home crowd. The Raiders will travel to Mudgee next week with four straight wins under their belt to face the Panthers.
